Bethel grad headed back to Africa

Woman, 50, plans to continue family ministry.

Woman, 50, plans to continue family ministry.

April 29, 2006|MARGARET FOSMOE Tribune Staff Writer

MISHAWAKA -- As Betty "Beaj" Beacham receives her college diploma today, she'll be flooded with thoughts about both past and future. She has loving memories of her long marriage and Christian ministry with her husband, Stephen Beacham, who died last year, and hopeful thoughts about the future, as she prepares to continue that ministry on her own. Beacham will receive her bachelor's degree in liberal studies during a commencement ceremony today at Bethel College. "At age 50, I feel like the Lord has something for me," she said. In July, Beacham will leave for a teaching job in Jos, Nigeria. She'll be working as a Bible studies teacher at Hillcrest School, a small Christian international school she attended as a teenager and where she and her husband worked for nearly 20 years. Beacham was born in New York state. After the death of her father, she moved to Liberia at age 12 with her mother, who at age 50 began work as a missionary nurse. For high school, Beacham attended boarding school in Nigeria. At Hillcrest School she met Stephen, who was a fellow student. Beacham said she and Stephen were high-spirited and disobedient teens and were asked to leave the school at age 16. Both returned to the United States with their families and finished high school, then enrolled in college in Texas. The couple married in 1976. Beacham by then was a registered nurse. Her husband worked as a teacher and coach. The couple recommitted their lives to Christ and set a goal of helping Hillcrest School children. "We wanted them to see school not so much as a set of dos and don'ts, but as more of a relationship with Christ," she said. "We wanted to show our students and people that came across our paths how much God loves each of us and how much He wants a relationship with us." With their two young daughters, Christy and Carol, the Beachams left for missionary work in Nigeria in 1985. Their youngest daughter, Laci, was born in Africa. Hillcrest School, run by a group of Christian missions, serves about 265 children of many faiths and races in kindergarten through grade 12. At the school, Stephen coached, worked as athletic director, and taught gym and Bible study classes. His wife helped him with teaching and sometimes served as a dormitory parent. The couple worked jointly and seamlessly in their ministry. Her husband liked to tell her that they went together "like peanut butter and jelly," she recalled. In April 2004, Stephen came back to the United States and went for a medical checkup that included a colonoscopy. The results came as a shock. Stephen was diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer. Beaj Beacham and Laci immediately returned to Charlotte, N.C., where Stephen was staying. He began intensive chemotherapy treatments, then faced surgery. In October 2004, it appeared that medical treatment was working. Checkups went well, and the family celebrated a happy and peaceful Christmas. In January 2005, the Beachams learned the cancer had returned. Stephen again began aggressive chemotherapy and was told he might live two to five years. On March 17, 2005, Stephen, 50, was found dead after a crash in his vehicle in Charlotte. A medical investigation concluded he died of complications of cancer -- probably a heart attack or a blood clot that went to his heart -- that killed him before the crash. The family went through a memorial service in shock. Carol, the middle daughter, was scheduled to be married less than two weeks later. The family went ahead with the marriage celebration, knowing Stephen would have wanted it, Beacham said. Shortly thereafter, Beacham and her youngest daughter returned to Nigeria so Laci could graduate from Hillcrest School. Stephen had been scheduled to speak to the graduating class, an obligation that his wife handled instead. With Laci set to attend Bethel College, Beacham decided to move to Mishawaka and also enroll. Together mother and daughter have toiled through course work this academic year, sharing an off-campus apartment decorated with mementos of Africa. "I've loved my classes. Everything that I've learned, I will use," she said. Beacham's children and other relatives support her decision to return to Nigeria. They want her to continue the life and ministry God planned for her, even though her husband is gone. "I'm really happy and proud she's going back to Nigeria," said Laci, who will be a Bethel sophomore in the fall. Beacham is returning to missionary work because it's her vocation and a tribute to her late husband. Each had a call and a passion for Nigeria. For Beacham, it's a new challenge and a solo step into her future. "I don't know what God has planned for me," she said. "But I'm going to start where Steve and I left off."Staff writer Margaret Fosmoe: mfosmoe@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6329